One heck of a heavy line-up
arrived at Bristol’s O2 Academy in the shape of US metalcore giants August
Burns Red headlining European tour, along with the equally huge The Devil Wears
Prada and the up and coming Veil of Maya. With Bristol having played host to
some of modern metal’s best acts in recent weeks (including Trivium just days
before this), the very lucky Bristol crowd piled into the venue with one of two
things on their mind – sitting back and watching in awe as some fantastic
technical metal unfolds before them or (and perhaps less inspiring) swinging
their arms and slamming their feet on the floor in the middle of a ‘mammoth’
(see what I did there TDWP fans?) circle pit (populated mainly by 14-16 year
olds and surrounded in close proximity by the more mature metal fan, sipping on
a pint and headbanging the night away). Have fun how you must, but these acts
weren’t to be missed due to a sudden and terrible head injury, so I behaved
myself and got worked up in my own way as the night got into full swing.
Veil of Maya seem to know exactly
what they’re doing, and the Chicago deathcore act go through the motions of
some technically astounding and brutally heavy tracks in a reserved manner.
There’s a lot of silence between songs (but for the occasional sample) and
while the band appear to be 100% comfortable performing their industrial fury (‘djent’
might work well here as a description, if it ever does) they don’t seem to be
giving their all. While tracks like ‘Punisher’ gain a short but intense
reaction from the crowd, it becomes quite apparent that this might just be one
of those nights on tour where Veil of Maya are feeling a little bit tired. Warm
milk and an early night for them, I think.
The Devil Wears Prada were the
band that many of the audience (including myself) were most excited to see,
that was clear from the volume of applause as the band appeared on stage, the
intro to ‘Escape’ (the opening track on the ‘Zombie’ EP) blaring almost as loud
as the screams of anticipation. When TDWP get going it’s clear that Ohio’s Christian
metalcore mob are well and truly on top of their game, and it’s shows like this
that they lap up night after night. Frontman Mike Hranica is particularly
chaotic tonight, his kinetic presence on stage almost impossible to take your
eyes away from. Much of the ‘Zombie’ [EP] is played during the first part of
their set, and when the tracks from ‘Dead Throne’ arrive, the pit grows to
almost the size of the entire room. ‘Constance’ is a delight, ‘Born to Lose’
generates incredible scream/singalongs and ‘Mammoth’ is full of expertly
executed breakdowns and a soaring melodic chorus. There isn’t much for the fan
of early material here, despite the band’s set feeling lengthy for a supporting
one. ‘Danger: Wildman’ and ‘Dez Moines’ get a run out but some other classic
tracks get missed, which although disappointing is also understandable as the
band now have such a vast choice of strong songs that fit into the live set
perfectly. TDWP leave the crowd gasping, sweaty and exhausted, but things are
far from over.
August Burns Red had it all to
do when they arrived on stage, but they followed TDWP in outstanding fashion
and certainly eradicated any doubt that they were worthy of the headline slot
on this tour. The sheer scale of the technicality of some of the songs on show
in astounding here, the band rarely looking tired as they shred through the
likes of ‘Composure’, ‘Internal Cannon’, ‘Backburner’ and ‘Meddler’. Many metal
bands would pale in comparison to some of what is on show here, and it’s all
lead by the vocals of Jacob Luhrs, who orchestrates everything in volatile
fashion. Breakdowns, solos, harmonies, tight rhythms and the inclusion of some
unexpected genres and sounds amongst the furious metal really make this an
unmissable show, the bodies flying and fists pumping incessantly. Towards the
end of the set a remarkable double drum solo (including bassist Dustin
Davidson on a mini kit) renders the audience silent, but it’s a stunned silence
that I haven’t seen at a show for a long, long time. The band’s encore (which
includes the breathtaking ‘White Washed’) ends the night on a high and
resonates with a lasting message. THIS is how modern heavy metal is done.
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